Gowns and Graduations...

Seven.  Seven Community Health Education graduations over the past six weeks. It was so great to celebrate with everyone on a job well done-for many of our beneficiaries getting a certificate with their name on it is a huge highlight.  For me, it's seeing communities and people transformed by what they have learned in the passed year. Many of the CHE participants testified how they have changed-and as a result their communities are being transformed.  

At every graduation-our staff participated in the program-here are some of the people and things we are participated in...

We spoke...first graduation at Foya Dendu

 Then Elizabeth spoke at Kpalawu...

We handed out certificates...

 and more...

and more...

 Then Steffani came up and handed out more certificates...

 

Elizabeth got in on some handing out!

Sarah from our SP Canada office handed some out...

Then Kathy (pilot Roy's wife) got to hand out certificates at our last graduation.

In the end there were over 400 CHE graduates from over 50 communities. Super proud of our staff for living out in these communities and being so committed to their job.

Some of the graduates

Some more great graduates!

 Graduates marching into the church to start the program

 

Another proud group of graduates from Nyema

Then there were the gowns...You see, when you are the 'guest speaker' or one of the leaders of the program-the chances of you getting a gown are pretty good.  They came in all colors and styles-but they were all given and received with gratefulness-her is the gown fashion show!

Gown #1 the matching look...

Gown #2 the country cloth jungle green number...

Gown #3 the "wow my eyes hurt" lapa set...

Gown #4 the matching hat get up...

Gown #5 the pink diddy-that everyone seemed to really like...

Gown #6 The "body parts" lapa suit

Now you may be thinking "what is she going to do with all of those gowns?"  Well, I have brought them back to Canada to store for now-but I would love to get someone to make a quilt or two-to remember all the places and people that we have worked with.  There was also some food - some of it, well you just aren't sure what you may get-even after 8 years I am never sure what type of "meat"  will be in my bowl!

Yes, there is a chicken leg-but my question is what is that round thing on the bottom left...hmmmm...

Eating Geebee with some goat-Elizabeth actually loved it!

It was such a great 6 weeks flying and driving around to our project sites to participate in each graduation.  Our pilots were so helpful getting us to all these places when the roads were impassable-and our staff did a wonderful job planning each program.  

 One of CHE graduates

As I reflect back on all that was accomplished-I remember what one of the beneficiaries stated at one of the graduations " We have learned so much to make our lives better, we are not getting sick as much, our community is united and our church is growing."   The CHE motto is: "Changed lives, Changing lives and Changing communities."  It is evident that the program this year was a success-despite all the challenges-everyone pushed on. 

As I have said before-much like running, a lot of what we do in our projects takes endurance.  It takes commitment. It takes perseverance.  It takes a shared vision of the goal that lays ahead of you.  Words cannot express my gratitude to our staff for their hard work, to the participants of the CHE program who walked-for some over an hour or more-just to come to the weekly training sessions.  All of us celebrating together was a perfect ending to my year!  I am so blessed.